AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She brings out a tin and hands it to me. I can smell them before I even open it.
One bite, and I’m transported back to that impatient five-year-old version of myself who could barely wait for the sugar-filled treats to cool down to taste one.
I eat three more in quick succession before I close the filled tin.
They still taste the same, and they remind me of my time as a child.
“You did always have a sweet tooth.”
“It has been a while since I had something this sweet,” I admit, trying to remember the last time I found edible fruits in the forest. It is fortunate that my mother taught me many things while I was young. Otherwise, I could have died long ago from the poisonous berries that grow on the nightshade plants that seem to grow faster than weeds, all over this town.
“Well, you can keep those. I can make more.”
I smile at her, glad that I didn’t gorge myself on them.
Tonight’s plan is looking even better by the minute.
I am looking forward to learning some hand signs for my mate and giving cookies to my brothers.
Facing and challenging my father can wait for one more night.
He isn’t going anywhere, and this reprieve is only temporary.
His punishment will be final.
There is no escaping that.
Chapter Eighteen
Snake
Foxdoesnotstayexcited about our mate when we get back to The Abyss. He tells Scratch he is not hungry when our older brother tells us he will find something for dinner in the forest. He is lying and it is not because he is being deceitful. He is not happy about being ordered to come back here, and he is distracted by his thoughts. His stomach complains with rumbling noises as he lays down on the ground outside of his cave, but he does not pay it any mind.
He groans and rubs at his face. “We were so close!”
I hiss my agreement.
Our mate seemed ready to become ours, but Scratch cast doubt where there was none and Fox worried that he may be right. That is simply because it seemed too good to be true.
Scar has taught us many things over the years, but that is one concept that I did not understand until tonight, probably because nothing has ever felt that way before.
Finding a mate is like discovering the gold at the end of a rainbow.
It is so incredible that it does not feel real.
It is like a dream that I never want to wake up from.
So, I understand why Fox is upset. We found that dream, and our leader came along and snatched her away without an explanation, all because Scratch didn’t do what he was supposed to do.
Now, it feels like we’re wide awake.
She is not here, and we are without a mate once more.
I sit down near Fox and keep my gaze on the portal, hopeful that Scar will return soon with our mate.
My feline brother’s problem is that he cannot see past the present.
He lives in the moment, so he is going to suffer every moment that he goes through without her.
